Beam, Brooke W. (author) and Specht, Annie R. (author)
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
2016-02
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 162 Document Number: D08135
Notes:
Research paper presented in the Agricultural Communications Section, Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists (SAAS) in San Antonio, Texas, February 7-8, 2016. 26 pages.
Authors identify urgent need to address the concerns of rural consumers and involve the available constitutional mechanism of Panchayati Raj institutions.
15 pages., Article #: 1277838, via online journal., Commercial channels can be non-conventional networks for disseminating agricultural information, especially if farmers are willing to pay for a DVD with
learning videos. Using purposive sampling, we selected retailer and involved them
in selling videos compiled in a DVD. Inside the jacket of DVD, we pasted a sticker
listing a phone number that buyers or video viewers could call for further questions.
We interviewed 341 of the buyers who called that number. After the phone interviews, snowball sampling was used to select 180 farmers for face-to-face interviews
in order to validate the information collected during the telephone interviews and
to understand the behavioural changes triggered by watching the videos. Within
four months of first distributing DVDs to retailers, 80% of the 700 DVDs were sold.
Distributing videos through commercial channels gives a fair chance to everyone to
learn, since the DVDs were sold on the open market at an affordable price. About
84% of the DVDs were sold at 1 USD, suggesting that all of the respondents were
willing to pay for learning DVDs; 86% of respondents said they now spent less
money on pesticides after watching the videos. Private sector actors can become
“new extensionists” and distribute agricultural information to rural populations.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 130 Document Number: D11276
Notes:
19 pages., Online from FAIR website., Addresses issues in media coverage in the Oregon standoff between federal authorities and a Patriot/Militia alliance of building occupiers and, more generally, anti-government protests and standoffs.
